It's Time for November Football
Posted October 31, 2010, 4:07 PM ET

So much for the appetizer; it's time to chow down on the main course.....it's time for some serious football that will determine the pretenders from the contenders.

We've had enough shuffling and positioning in both the conference standings and national polls, but each week gets magnified in November.

Pick your favorite conference and you'll get the point:

The ACC's Coastal division, which was originally thought to be one of the best in the country, has been a major disappointment. I thought before the season that Miami, Georgia Tech, UNC and Virginia Tech were all worthy of being Top 20 teams and any one of them could have a breakout season.

It appears that Virginia Tech is going to cruise to a trip to Charlotte for the ACC title game. The Hokies have a 2-game lead over the rest of the under-achievers and even though they have match-ups with the top 3 Coastal challengers, including two of them on the road at Chapel Hill and Miami...you get the feeling that nobody is going to catch them.

The ACC's Atlantic division is wide-open after NC State's upset win over the Noles. It put FSU, Maryland and the Wolfpack in a heated battle coming down the stretch. Last year's division champ, Clemson, played itself out of the mix with an embarrassing loss to Boston College.

This week, Florida State hosts UNC while NC State heads down to Death Valley to face the Tigers....and we'll be down there as well, on the Southern Fried Football™ Tour.

The SEC has been crazy this year, too.

The East is entirely upside down, as South Carolina controls their own destiny and their first trip to the SEC title game. The Gamecocks have both Arkansas and Florida coming up and the Old Ball Coach along with Gamecock Nation can sniff the division championship.

After watching USC in person last weekend against the Vols, it might be a good idea for the secondary to get some work in practice before Ryan Mallett and his Hogs roll into Columbia.

Florida outlasted the Dawgs in the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.....the win allowed the Gators to keep pace in the SEC East, but this is not your typical Florida football team.

Based on what I've seen this season, South Carolina appears to be the best team in the division.

The SEC West is fascinating.

While Auburn and dynamic QB, Cam Newton, are #2 in the BCS....many folks believe that Bama is primed to return to the SEC title game and the national championship. If everything stays status quo, and it's a mistake to assume that will be the case in college football, then the Iron Bowl will be utterly insane, later this month.

Arkansas and LSU are perfect spoilers and do have the ability to cause nightmares, but I don't think they are in the same class as Auburn and Alabama. Regardless of the outcome, the winner of the division will be a heavy favorite in the SEC title game, and the chance of another SEC national championship is not that far-fetched.

East Carolina's showdown with Central Florida last weekend pretty much determined the fate of the Pirates' chances to defend their CUSA title.

Despite the loss, I've been very impressed with Ruffin McNeill's debut this year in Greenville. Any coaching change creates a tough transition, and Coach Ruff and his staff did a nice job under tough conditions. I think the future is bright in Pirate-Land.

App State continues to roll in the SoCon, but they still have a tough one with Wofford ahead. I've seen both teams play this year on the Tour, and while the Mountaineers are the most talented team, the Terriers will be ready to play.

I always enjoy SoCon football....I think it's over-shadowed by the FCS, but the brand of football is entertaining.